The publication of the identity of a person or group that is culpable in some anti-social act in order to shame them into remorse.
Read the full origin →Established 1997 · researched & written by Gary Martin
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Saint Peter famously walked on water when he was full of faith. But when his faith left him, he sank. It makes sense that "petered out" could be a reference to this.
Jane Eyre, chapter 17, has "beauty is in the eye of the gazer" in quotes. It's 1847, so well before Hungerford.
I live on an island of buildings going to rack and ruin and appreciate the sentiment. I find it interesting that the term's usage spiked following WWI, when Europe was in a state…
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From the Phrase Finder Digest
- The Bank Holiday Moved Dates, But These Rest Phrases Never Changed Meaning
The August bank holiday shifted from the first Monday of the month to the last for most of the UK in the late 1960s. The phrases we use about rest and idleness have their own, stranger histories.
26 August 2026
- The Ashes Urn Takes Its Name From A Funeral Service, Not A Cricket Pitch
Cricket's oldest rivalry has given English two phrases that behave very differently under scrutiny. One is a genuine pitch condition with a real Victorian source; the other borrows its name from a burial service, not the game itself.
19 August 2026
Based on Google Books usage over the last ~25 years. Refreshes each build.
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- MeaningTo cut a long story shortIt is used to signal that the speaker is skipping over details and getting straight to the point or outcome of an account.
- MeaningCherry ripeIn Cockney rhyming slang, "cherry ripe" means a tobacco pipe.
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Phrases.org.uk has been documenting the meaning and origin of phrases, sayings and idioms since 1997. Every entry is researched and written by Gary Martin, with citations to the earliest printed use we can find.
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